City can’t be medical provider

There isn’t a rash of break-ins in Casco Township and coyotes are not killing all the dogs and cats in Fort Gratiot. Both ideas have been popular memes on Facebook in recent months. And both are complete fabrications.

The St. Clair County Sheriff Department warned this week that making up stories of crime waves isn’t helpful and asked residents to be more circumspect with their use of social media. The worst fake news is the stuff our neighbors create and that we spread out of both fear of the worst that could happen and also the fear of being left out.

One of the Facebook stories that threatens to do more harm than good is Tray Smith’s campaign to blame the city of Port Huron for the lack of drug rehabilitation facilities in our area. Port Huron and St. Clair County are not unique in lacking a complete range of treatment facilities for people caught up in the opioid epidemic. Few communities outside major cities have adequate facilities to cope with the growing crisis. Port Huron, with nearby in-patient facilities and a deep network of recovery and sober homes, is situated better than many.

In one of his recent video posts on Facebook, Smith says, “We still need a continuum of care for the people who are affected in our community. It is up to our city to do something about it.”

We don’t question Smith’s good intent, but we have to wonder about his qualifications to run a city. There are certain services a city the size of Port Huron is expected to provide. Opening and operating a drug treatment facility certainly is not one of them.

One thing the city can do, however, is provide leadership. And it has been doing that, beginning with the cataloging and regulating of recovery homes. After a few hiccups in drafting and adopting its ordinances, there is no question that the city’s oversight has improved the quality of service the homes are providing people fighting addiction and seeking better lives.

The city is also providing leadership by working with the people and agencies that can create the sort of ambulatory drug treatment centers the area so desperately needs. The city of Port Huron isn’t qualified or expected to build a treatment center and then hire, train and manage its staff. But there are entities in the community that can, ranging from existing service providers such as Sacred Heart, community health experts, mental health officials, the medical community, the state human services agency and more. The city has been invited to join with them on the St. Clair County Community Services Coordinating Body.

Working together, they have the expertise and the bricks and mortar to fill the gaps in the area’s drug treatment needs. The city has some resources, and has shown the leadership, that could make it happen.